SEO is a relatively new specialization with a history of about 20 years. In such a brief period, many myths have already cropped up when it comes to promoting websites through search rankings, and secret methods, but also about various mistakes in SEO optimization.

Did you know that in 1993 the first search engine appeared? One that was very primitive - Web3 Catalog, and Google's search engine became known only in the 2000s ... Today, the same Google that started modestly works with 92% of global search traffic.

So, if you have a website, you already know how hard it is to reach your target audience. And that's because 1.9 billion sites are currently officially registered online. The competition is extremely high, and Google’s rankings for any given query have only 10 places (the first page of the results brings 99% of the clicks and sales). The competition is fierce.

Find out below what a good ranking means, where you're making mistakes in your site’s optimization, and why Google doesn't efficiently store your webpage in its database.

Let's start slow; namely: your site may simply not be indexed. But what does “indexing” mean when it comes to Google?

Not being indexed means that you will not be listed in Google Search.

Site indexing involves crawling it by search engine crawlers and displaying the results when searching for keywords that match the content of your site. Careful! This is not about ranking on the first or second page, but for now, just to be present in search results, i.e., to be indexed. Even if you already have a website and have invested in quality content and web design - you may not appear in the search engine.

Web pages should be stored in Google’s index. When a user has made a query, the answers are extracted from this Google database, i.e., from the index. So, for your site to appear in Google search results, you must first make sure that the website is accessible to Google bot. Then, you need to make sure that it is indexed correctly and that you haven’t made any other mistakes, which could make it invisible to Google.

TIP! How do we check if the site is indexing well or not?

You can check if the entire site has been indexed by typing the phrase on Google: "site: your-site-address.com". You can also check if your site appears in search results when you search for its domain name. If so - then you don't have anything to worry about. And if not - then you’ve probably made some technical mistake or Google changed its indexing and ranking algorithms and you were penalized.

Reasons for partial and/or mistaken indexing

Things can be amazingly simple in some cases, for example, those who took care of the programming, simply forgot to allow the indexing of the site or did not place the site map in the XML format (sitemap.xml). If, on the other hand: you have many errors, the site has copied or irrelevant content or you are penalized by Google - things could get overly complicated. At the same time, you should know that if the site is new, then in the first 6 months it will be less visible in the search engine, as a rule. The authority and notoriety of a web page can only be created through time.

Reasons for poor rankings

Let's leave the sophisticated language to developers and figure out what mistakes you’re making when creating content and why the site does not rank well, even if it has been fully indexed.

1. You're not using keywords that belong together in families and groups or you don't use them in the right places

One of the most effective SEO strategies in 2024 is blogging. Address simple, easy, and fun topics; for example, many are currently interested in topics such as: "how to make money online", select keywords with the average amount of searches and lower competition (use Google Ads' Keyword Tool (https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/) - with the help of Keyword Planner to track them down and then use them exclusively in word groups.

For grouping keywords:

• Keyword Grouper PRO (https://marketbold.com/KeywordGrouperPro/)
• LSI Graph (https://lsigraph.com/) to find out the relevant keyword groups.

Although it is important to set up an SEO strategy for site promotion in search engines, it is not enough to have to improve the text with SEO keywords on the site. You also need to use SEO keywords in meta tags (titles and meta descriptions), URLs, menu structure, ALT image and text names, text titles, headings, etc.

Invest in strong content, not only in pages that sell but also in informational pages that supply value to users, and introduce guides, case studies, screenshots, videos, reviews, etc. Renew old articles, choose the right keywords and phrases, browse the top 10 results that appear on Google with these keyword groups, and form a new article better than those of the competitors. This kind of content helps your web page be indexed better.

2. You don’t care about the user’s experience

The user's intention matters. Visitors who click on your site from the search results, but quickly abandon it if they don’t find what they need on the website. This directly affects the positioning of your site, especially if your visitors click on your competitors instead and prove to be satisfied with the content found there. To increase the conversion rate and decrease the bounce rate, you need to do SEO optimization on each important page of the website, separately.

The page should be easy to use, so the main concept should be led by its usability. Google will pay attention to the time spent on the page and the bounce-back rate. So, despite how much you’re investing in SEO services, and sponsored ads, if the product is not appreciated by people, you will not have the expected results.

3. You’re not perfecting the mobile version of the site

When indexing, Google will prioritize mobile versions of websites. Good mobile loading speed, responsiveness, and adaptability are basic requirements. If the upload speed is low, then the user will bounce away from your webpage. The bounce-back rate and the time spent on the page are some especially important parameters that Google considers when analyzing your site.

You already know that the site should be mobile-friendly, as it also supplies added value to users. If you have an online store, supply mobile applications, an easy-to-navigate menu, and a robust structure. The one who invests in a pleasant user experience will have a lot to gain eventually, especially if they also invest in promoting the site through search engines.

4. You don't do quality link-building

Quality backlinks (links that lead to your page) are key elements in any off-page SEO strategy and probably the most challenging task in SEO optimization. Search engines use links to crawl every page on your site, but also to create links between sites. Backlinks serve as trusted votes given to your site by other websites, so based on the quality and number of links to your site, search engines decide if a page is good enough to rank highly on relevant keywords.

There are several techniques for building quality backlinks, which vary in difficulty. Most SEO experts find it exceedingly difficult to achieve quality link building, but nothing is impossible.

So, to get proper indexing from Google, you need to actively invest in building backlinks as well. You have 3 basic options: business directories (where you can add information about your business and site), take advantage of the popularity of news sites and niche blogs (they will help you gather backlinks with authority), and, finally, give press releases. Make sure the texts that link to you use keywords that are relevant to your business.

5. You don't have a long-term SEO strategy

Analyze competitors who are in the top 10 in search results. What do they do differently from you? Maybe they have more relevant content or they could have an SEO strategy developed step by step; maybe they use SEO services, or perhaps they have a mobile-friendly page and offer a pleasant browsing experience to the users. A brand gains visibility through social media posts, online newspapers, magazines, and popular online portals, as well as through a strong promotion for the site and its products.

Now you should know what mistakes you're making and why your site isn't being indexed by Google. Pay close attention to improving these aspects and make your site visible to search engines. That is the only way you can outperform your competitors and reach the top 3 in terms of Google results!